Movies.com features a Hobbit Countdown feature every other week written by our own staffer Larry D. Curtis. In the latest writing he speculates on what might be included in the coming Hobbit teaser and he looks back a decade ago when fans rocked the internet and went to see film Thirteen Days just to catch the first glimpse of Middle-earth. We included the LOTR tease below but here is a hint of what one writer speculates will be in the clip rumored to be with the new Sherlock Holmes: a Game of Shadows December 16th. Despite inquiries no official confirmation has been issued. Variety broke the story on Twitter when Jeff Sneider tweeted, “Expect to see THE DARK KNIGHT RISES trailer in front of SHERLOCK HOLMES 2… And MAYBE even a HOBBIT teaser,”

Take that “MAYBE” as you will.

Below is a block of text from the Movies.com speculative article about the hoped for tease. You can read the whole thing right here. And, if you want to see TheOneRing.net archives about LOTR trailers, we have that too.

Plan on something about a ring to be sure. Andy Serkis’ Gollum will be back to give less-fervent fans a reminder of what the connective tissue between LOTR and the Hobbit is. Martin Freeman’s earnest face will surely get the most screen time as the title character but expect the beloved Ian McKellen as Gandalf to be close behind in terms of time. With location shooting scheduled to turn to studio work early next year and last until June, it is clear that large portions of the adaptation have yet to go before cameras.

Finally, we included the original teaser from a decade ago. Did you see it first at theaters or on the web?

Benedict Cumberbatch will not only provide the voice of the dragon Smaug The Magnificent, he will perform the role using the motion capture technology pioneered by Andy Serkis and Weta Digital, according to the actor himself.

The design of the most iconic villain in J.R.R. Tolkien’s The Hobbit, and indeed probably the greatest literary great worm of the 20th Century, remains a secret and a key ingredient of Peter Jackson’s two part movie adaptation due in December 2012 and December 2013. The actor, the title character acting opposite Martin Freeman in the BBC’s Sherlock, revealed to Collider during a press junket that he hasn’t done his Hobbit stint yet and that he will not only provide the voice for the creature but perform him as well. You can see the video or read the interview right here.

Its been a week but TheOneRing.net had a nice chat that aired last Monday on Fictional Frotiers with Sohaib. Senior Staffer MrCere is a regular guest on the program which broadcasts in Philadelphia and then is available on the web. The radio broadcast featured a shorter version of the conversation because of the magic of the interwebs, the longer 30-minute conversation is available right here.

Luke Evans, who’s been cast in THE HOBBIT in the key role of Bard the Bowman and currently stars as Zeus in the mythical actioner IMMORTALS, recently spoke with Fresno Bee on being part of possibly the biggest film of his career.

“It’s keeping life real, that’s what’s important, and not losing yourself in the fact that you’re in ‘The Hobbit’.

I had a little bit of a heart flutter the first day I got there [New Zealand] because they have this thing where they show the new actors around all the sets and I saw Bilbo’s house, and I was like, “I actually walked into Bilbo’s house!” It was the most amazing thing.”

Read the full story over at Fresno Bee.

Thanks to message board member gaer_carreg for the heads-up.

IGN caught up with Andy Serkis and, among other things, asked him when fans can expect the first trailer for The Hobbit. Here’s what Andy had to say:

“There will be a trailer fairly soon, actually. Around Christmas time, I believe.”

Besides reprising his role as Gollum, Serkis has also taken up duties as Second Unit Director on the films, concerning which he says:

“It’s quite fascinating, I’m having a ball. It’s a huge operation, really. We’re on the road at the moment, at various different locations on South Island in New Zealand. There are some truly remarkable landscapes that we’re filming in. It’s just stunning.”

Andy also spoke a bit about shooting in 5K at 48 fps. To read the entire interview, head over to IGN.

So which December film will have The Hobbit trailer playing in front of it? Join the speculation on our boards.

Sir Ian McKellen has updated his blog with a new entry titled “Soldiering On” and, among other things, talks about his role as Gandalf the Grey in The Hobbit.

The relevant excerpt follows:

In The Hobbit, Gandalf is part old duffer but more he’s a soldier. Peter Jackson, who likes to see the old guys fighting it out, reminded me the other day that Gandalf is a commander, a general.

Having slain the Great Goblin I was being a bit too indulgent with the dwarves who meanwhile had mislaid Bilbo in the goblin tunnels. I’ve played enough soldiers to see that PJ was right and in the next take I was very stern. 

The image on the right comes courtesy of McKellen’s blog post.